By album number five, fans knew what to expect from Above the Law.

Legends didn't throw any curveballs; instead, it stuck to the group's regular attack with little apparent desire to expand or progress.

While few West Coast gangsta groups were as skilled as Above the Law, the passage of time only shows more how Legends wasn't much more than just another album from the group.

As ever, the group's production is its top asset, and the MCs, though hardly masters, remain vivid and convincing storytellers.

Had this been the first or second record released by a newer group a few years earlier, it wouldn't have gone nearly as ignored -- so this is definitely a record for the devoted.